


Reassurances

by Contingency03



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: F/F, Fluff, One Shot Collection, One Word Prompts, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-08-28 20:24:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8461750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Contingency03/pseuds/Contingency03
Summary: Sometimes we don't think too much of ourselves, and we all need a little reminder once in a while. A collection of uplifting moments between our favorite parfait duo. Feel free to follow me on Tumblr: contingency03.tumblr.com





	1. Allergies

**Author's Note:**

> Allergies are objectively horrible, but sometimes they aren't too bad.

Eli sneezed for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Pulling down her white mask, she rubbed at her nose, hoping to lessen the irritation she was feeling but knowing nothing would help. It was afternoon, and she was stuck here finishing student council paperwork, while the rest of the group practiced outside, enjoying their allergy-free lives without her. This had been the worst pollen day of the year so far - it was unfortunate that it happened so close to their concert, but Eli couldn’t be productive if she was sneezing the whole practice. 

So instead - not wanting to worry the others - Eli made up the excuse of having to stay inside to finish important student council work. The paperwork wasn’t technically due until next week, but it was better than suffering through both her allergies and the concern of her friends. At the very least, she would be able to listen in from the student council room. However, if she was being completely honest with herself, she was starting to get a little lonely.

“1, 2, 3, 4.” Umi’s voice rang from the rooftop. The window in the student council room was sealed shut, but the rest of the group practiced on the same side of the building, close enough that any noise made from them travelled through regardless. Eli paused in her paperwork, thoughts drifting to the new song they were practicing. It was a slower number than they were used to, and Eli subconsciously found her foot tapping to the beat.

_Tap, tap, tap, tap._

_1, 2, 3, 4._

She started humming the tune to herself, not noticing the door sliding open. 

“You know, I’m sure we could have convinced them to practice inside for once.”

Eli looked up, startled that someone was able to enter unnoticed. She relaxed when she recognized her girlfriend, Nozomi. The girl in question giggled behind a hand at Eli’s disheveled appearance, hair strewn at weird angles, nose as red as a cherry. 

“Why aren’t you at practice with the others?” Eli stuttered out, pulling the mask over the lower half of her face in an attempt to cover her embarrassing state.

“I can’t possibly focus when I’m busy worried about you,” said Nozomi casually, making her way behind the sitting blonde. She put both hands on the other girl’s shoulders, squeezing lightly, feeling the muscles underneath relax with each movement. 

“I know... I’m just a mess right now.”

Muffled music from the rooftop ended abruptly, followed by a low voice chiding someone for being off tempo. The sun was beginning to set, and rays of yellow and orange started filtering in from the window, casting long shadows along the tile. 

“Hey.” At the uncharacteristic stern voice from the normally calm girl, Eli tilted her head up, eyes widening when she realized how close the other girl’s face was. Nozomi smiled and the room seemed to brighten considerably. “You’re still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Eli turned her face away, cheeks flushing even more. “Now you’re just saying that.”

“Doesn’t make it any less true,” Nozomi hummed to herself, hands stilling as a thought occurred to her. She took out her phone and switched on the photo app. Reaching around the blonde, she hooked a finger around the face mask and pulled it down with one swift motion. Before the other girl could open her mouth, a word of protest on her tongue, Nozomi pressed her lips to Eli’s cheek while simultaneously snapping a picture with the smart phone in her hand. Eli looked up to see a stilled image of them on the screen.

“What are you-”

“See for yourself,” Nozomi murmured by her ear, leaning her head on the blonde’s shoulder as they both inspected the image in silence. It was tilted slightly from the awkward angle, but they could see both faces clearly - Nozomi with her eyes closed, a hint of a smile on lips pressed against Eli’s flushed cheek; Eli’s surprised but beaming smile as she leaned against her girlfriend. The setting sun framed them both in an angelic light; hues of red, orange, and yellow accented each subtle emotion on their faces as if to draw out all their love for each other in this tiny moment. 

A whisper by her ear eased out of the quiet. “Now do you believe me?”

“I’d have to disagree with you.” At Nozomi’s confused frown, Eli continued with a chuckle, turning in her chair to wrap her arms around the other girl’s neck. “Because you’re the most beautiful thing _I’ve_ ever seen.” 

“Flatterer.” 

The two leaned in for a kiss as a voice from the window indicated that practice had come to a close, followed by muffled shouts of joy from their friends. The two of them stayed embraced in each other’s arms, simply enjoying the other’s presence. 

Maybe allergies weren’t too bad after all.


	2. Greetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It started off small but bloomed into something unforgettable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short drabble on their relationship. I honestly don't know where this sap comes from.

It started as a whisper, a jumble of nerves and uncertainty, of promises of new beginnings.

“Hello.”

It wasn’t anything special; nothing like a confession in the pouring rain or a lifetime devotion underneath a church roof. The day itself was a normal sunny day in spring. Maybe the birds chirped louder than normal, and maybe the flowers bloomed extra bright because that day stood out like no other had before.

“I’m Toujou Nozomi.”

Neither of them saw it coming. Though if they paid enough attention, they would have seen the signs.

“Ayase Eli.”

Neither expected to fall so deeply in that moment, to become so entwined with another that neither could tell where they ended and the other began. It was a validation of their existence in a world that constantly overlooked people like them, a refusal to go quietly into that good night; a chance to fight and comfort and be comforted, to live and love. 

Like a spring flower, their relationship bloomed into a deeply passionate red - so rich and inviting, their peers couldn’t help but admire it.

However, with the coming fall (and thus graduation) there was a fear of it ending like the withering tree leaves. But for now, just being there with each other, it was enough.


	3. Whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not going to be an easy fight. But at least they have each other.

_“That’s so gross.”_

_“How unnatural.”_

_“They’re probably just doing it for attention.”_

Eli squeezed her eyes shut to prevent the tears from leaking out. It was the first time she and Nozomi had gone out walking together as a couple, and deciding to be bold for once, clutched her girlfriend’s hand in her own while the strolled past crowds in the busy Akihabara street. They had been planning this date for months; with their midterms and concert to prepare for, both girls hardly had time for each other. Which was why Eli made a proposition to her partner: if both of them could pass their exams and perform well in the concert, Eli would take Nozomi out into the city and give her the best date of her life. It sounded more romantic in her head, but now that they were here, she seemed to have forgotten to take some things into account. More specifically, the stares and hateful comments whispered as they passed by. 

Eli gripped her girlfriend’s hand tighter, missing the curious look Nozomi was sending her way. 

It was strange of Eli to be so bothered by what other people thought. From the first day they met, Nozomi had never known someone as headstrong and stubborn as the blonde - as if, with one glare, she could make the whole world bow to her will. It was part of her charm, and part of what attracted Nozomi to her. 

Something must have changed because Nozomi had never seen her girlfriend so flustered. Maybe having a date so soon after coming out wasn’t such a good idea.

Nozomi stumbled when Eli quickened her pace, tugging them through the crowd. Regaining her balance quickly, the purple-haired girl noticed with dread that the blonde’s shoulders were quivering, her head bowed, as the two finally reached an alley away from the commotion. A moment of reprieve. 

Eli had her head down, her back turned toward Nozomi. The shaking didn’t stop. “Hey,” said Nozomi softly. She rubbed her hand along the width of her back, relieved when the blonde leaned into her touch. Quiet sniffing could be heard from the other girl, and Nozomi brought her into a hug, leaning her cheek onto the taller girl’s back. Nozomi snaked her arms around her girlfriend’s midriff. “You okay?”

Eli didn’t answer but reached down to squeeze the other girl’s arm lightly in confirmation. She leaned into the hug, and the two of them stayed like that for a few moments. Eli cleared her throat, and with a shaky voice said, “It’s just not fair.”

Nozomi clutched her closer. “No, it isn’t.”

“That’s not helping.”

The purple-haired girl continued softly, “I know I can’t say a few words and make it all go away. It’s gonna hurt, I know. The world isn’t as bright and accepting as we once thought.”

_Don't forget courage. If we push forward, things will be lucky.  
Everyone can see each other, be happy._

Growing up with conservative parents, Nozomi was taught to hate who she was. It was the little glances, the snide comments at the dinner table that beat away at her self-esteem, little by little every day. She thought, once they moved away, that she was finally free to be herself until the real world taught her that life wasn’t so simple.

“But I want you to know that I’m with you every step of the way. No matter what happens.” The shiver in her hands didn’t go unnoticed by Eli. It wasn’t that Nozomi was immune to the stares and hateful comments; she just learned to put on a mask - the same mask that was slowly being chipped away by the second. But she had to be strong - at least, for a little while longer.

_In those anxious times when courage seems fleeting,  
Push yourself beyond your limits and look ahead!_

Eli turned and embraced her girlfriend, resting her cheek on purple hair. The shaking in the other girl grew stronger, and Eli could feel her nylon shirt getting damp. She held her closer and whispered, “I love you.”

It will take patience, stubbornness, and an insurmountable level of strength, but they’ll manage. After all, they have each other.

“We’ll get through this.”

_Wonder zone.  
A future where I can become strong.  
Let’s look for it together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the 2016 US election.
> 
> Don’t give up friends. We have to believe there is still good in the world.


End file.
